


Rain Doesn't Ruin Parades

by KysisTheBard



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Science Boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-15
Updated: 2012-08-15
Packaged: 2017-11-12 05:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/487348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KysisTheBard/pseuds/KysisTheBard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After they thwarted the Chitauri invasion, all the Avengers went on their separate ways. Life went on. Finally, after too long, Tony Stark gets the call that Bruce Banner is coming back to NYC- Science Boyfriends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rain Doesn't Ruin Parades

**Author's Note:**

> I was blindsided by this idea. I'm sorry. My brain just spit this out. Take it.

It starts raining about ten minutes after the jet touches down. He knows because he’s standing outside, surrounded by other people who are also waiting. Some of them are holding signs, and the cardboard is getting soggier by the moment, permanent marker running in black streams down it.

Tony thought about making a sign. Bruce didn’t like advertising to people who he was, because of the Other Guy, so he couldn’t write Bruce or Dr. Banner or anything like that on a sign. Or Big Guy. Bruce would probably turn right back around and board the next flight out of the country if he did that.

Names and nicknames were out.

He’d thought about writing different equations on a sign, too, though the one he came up with hardly felt appropriate. It’d made him smile for the first time in what felt like months, though. It was a simple little equation, except not really, because it had to be complicated to be fed into a graph and spit out the outline of a heart.

Not a human heart, the kind people wrote on love letters.

Tony let out a little sigh, looking down at the darkening cement near his feet. There were little coverings here and there, but they were crammed with people. Yeah, he could talk to a crowd, sway them, get everyone cheering or laughing or whatever. Actually being _in_ the crowd, though. That was different. He wasn’t that type of person.

So here he was, standing near the road, hands shoved in the pockets of his black slacks, in the rain, all alone.

The doors opened, Tony glancing up sharply. He’d never admit it, but his heart skipped a beat. It was just the suddenness. It was startling. That was it. He tried to smile, but it didn’t work. People were flooding out of the door with various levels of luggage, most of it the average kind of stuff bought at a mall. Not what he was looking for.

Clump after clump of people came through. Families were brought together. Couples were reunited.

Tony rocked up onto the balls of his feet, chewing a little on his bottom lip. It was a bad habit. It was something he usually only did in the lab when he was waiting, with baited breath, for JARVIS to finish running some numbers for him. The public shouldn’t be seeing this. He stopped chewing his lip, then started fidgeting. Didn’t seem like there was a win clause in this situation.

The doors closed.

Tony frowned, glancing around. More people were departing. It looked like everyone had their person but him. That wasn’t fair. Tony ran a hand back through his hair, trying to push down the frustration. If Bruce had canceled—

And there he was. The doors opened one last time, and there he was.

He didn’t look that different. His hair was a little longer. Maybe he had a little more stubble, was a tad trimmer, but otherwise, it was still Bruce.

Tony couldn’t help it. A shining smile lit up all his features, warming him to the core even if he was soaking wet by now. Hell, it’d started raining harder, but he didn’t care. He was here for this.

“Hey.” Tony wanted to kick himself, but that’s what came out of his mouth, so he might as well roll with it.

“Hey.” Bruce gave a little smile, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced around, readjusting his simple canvas bag on his shoulder. “Have you been waiting in the rain?”

“Totally worth it. Come here.”

Before Bruce could complain or put up any sort of argument, Tony grabbed Bruce, pulling him in to a tight hug. He took a deep breath. Bruce smelled like the desert, like hot days and sand and the slightest bit of musk. Better yet, after a moment, Bruce actually returned the hug, even if it felt a bit loose, a bit uncertain. It was better than nothing.

“Welcome home.”

“Tony, I’m not—”

He turned his head, stopping those lips with his own. If he was honest, he’d wanted to do that for a while. A long while. Felt like forever.

Best yet was the fact that Bruce didn’t pull away.

Everything was finally going to be all right.


End file.
